1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to liners for beds of vehicles, such as beds of pickup trucks and, more particularly, to a vehicle truck bed liner especially adapted for taking on a ballast material for adding weight to the bed of the vehicle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Every winter, and during slippery road conditions generally, pickup truck users are faced with a dilemma in adding weight to the bed of the pickup truck to increase friction between the drive wheels and the road. Weighty items that are not secured to the bed of the pickup truck can be used. Such weighty items include sandbags, wood chucks, and concrete blocks. Snow can also be added to the bed of the pickup truck. The sandbags, wood chucks, and concrete blocks can move around in the pickup truck bed. In doing so, they can bump into and damage other objects being hauled in the bed of the pickup truck. In addition, such weighty items take up carry space, preventing other objects from being hauled. Moreover, the sandbags, wood chucks, and concrete blocks can have safety concerns. In case of an accident, they can act as dangerous projectiles. In this respect, it would be desirable if weight that is added to the bed of a pickup truck be secured to the bed of the pickup truck and take up a minimal amount of haulage space in the pickup truck bed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,796,914 of Raynor, a liner for the bed of a pickup truck is disclosed which includes a ballast chamber for receiving liquid ballast, such as water or a water/antifreeze mixture. The Raynor patent discloses that vertically oriented support column members 30 space a top wall from a bottom wall of the liner. Moreover, side walls and end walls are also required. The required walls of the Raynor patent provide a three dimensional liner which has a fixed three dimensional volume. As a result, the haulage volume of the pickup truck bed is reduced by the fixed three dimensional volume of the liner. Even when the ballast is not needed in the liner, the three dimensional volume of the liner remains fixed. In this respect, it would be desirable if a vehicle bed liner were provided which does not have a fixed three dimensional volume even when ballast is not added to the liner.
As mentioned above, the Raynor patent provides a plurality of vertically oriented support column members 30 between the top and bottom liner layers. It is quite a complicated manufacturing operation to provide such a plurality of vertically oriented support column members between the top and bottom layers. To provide for simplicity and economy in manufacture, it would be desirable if a vehicle bed liner were provided which does not include a plurality of vertically oriented support column members between the top and bottom liner layers.
The ballast chamber in the Raynor patent is, in essence, one large-volume ballast chamber. As a result, when the pickup truck accelerates, decelerates, and goes around turns, there is a significant hydraulic thrust and movement of the liquid ballast material inside the ballast chamber. Such movement of the liquid ballast material is undesirable in that it can precipitate a shifting of the load on top of the liner, thereby causing instability to the pickup truck. Moreover, the movement of the liquid ballast material itself can contribute to instability of the pickup truck. In this respect, it would be desirable if a vehicle bed liner were provided which inhibited liquid ballast material from moving inside the liner when the pickup truck accelerates, decelerates, and goes around turns.
It is noted that the Raynor patent discloses a vehicle bed liner that fits snugly around the wheel wells projecting into the bed. Other than the snug fit, provisions are not made in the Raynor patent to secure the liner to the bed. Sizes and shapes of wheel wells may vary from one pickup truck to another. Consequently, it would be not be possible to provide a “one size fits all” type of liner when securing of the liner to bed depended upon the snugness of fit between the liner and the wheel wells. In this respect, it would be desirable if a vehicle bed liner were provided with means to secure the liner to the bed of the pickup truck which does not depend upon the snugness of the fit between the liner and the wheel wells.
Still other features would be desirable in a vehicle bed liner apparatus. It is known that when liquid water freezes into solid ice, the ice has a greater volume than the liquid. The expansion of the ice can cause an inflexible container to rupture. In this respect, it would be desirable if a vehicle bed liner were provided which does not rupture when liquid water freezes therein to become solid ice.
Thus, while the foregoing body of prior art indicates it to be well known to use a vehicle bed liner that has a ballast chamber, the prior art described above does not teach or suggest a flexible vehicle bed liner apparatus containing a ballast chamber which has the following combination of desirable features: (1) can be secured to the bed of the pickup truck and take up a minimal amount of haulage space in the pickup truck bed; (2) does not have a fixed three dimensional volume even when ballast is not added to the liner; (3) does not include a plurality of vertically oriented support column members between the top and bottom liner layers; (4) inhibits liquid ballast material from moving inside the liner when the pickup truck accelerates, decelerates, and goes around turns; (5) includes means to secure the flexible liner to the bed of the pickup truck which does not depend upon the snugness of the fit between the liner and the wheel wells; and (6) does not rupture when liquid water freezes therein to become solid ice. The foregoing desired characteristics are provided by the unique vehicle bed liner apparatus containing a flexible compartmented ballast chamber of the present invention as will be made apparent from the following description thereof. Other advantages of the present invention over the prior art also will be rendered evident.